In honor of the release of Brooklyn Castle this week, the October puzzle of the month comes from a game between IS 318k teacher Elizabeth Spiegel and former IS 318k student Rochelle Ballantyne. In the position below Elizabeth is playing black.
Can you find a way for black to win a piece?
Bring the solution to this puzzle to our October Family Chess Night and win a prize!
If you haven’t seen the trailer for Brooklyn Castle yet, watch it here.
“The first time you stick it to a boy that’s when you really get inspired to get going.”
-St Louis chess coach Carrie Lax
This US Chess Scoop video interviews female chess players and coaches talking about how they learned to play chess, why they love the game, and how we can get more women involved. I love this piece not only because there is a nice plug for our book Play Like A Girl, but also because it features a diverse group of women talking honestly about their experiences in the chess world.
For the last four years, 9 Queens has partnered with Philadelphia non-profit ASAP (After Schools Actvities Partnerships) to host 9 Queens all girls chess academies led by co-founder Jennifer Shahade. The latest edition on February 11th featured a lecture by Jennifer on openings, a blitz tournament and a screening of the second episode of the Extreme “X Chess” Championships. Zayonna Brown won the blitz tournament with a perfect 3-0 score and won the first place medal and a copy of Play Like a Girl!
The Extreme Chess Championships is a made for TV single-elimination knockout that showcases the drama of chess competition and the diversity of its top practitioners. Watch the “Battle of the Sexes” episode below, which features Philly based law student and chess master Alisa Melekhina, who also teaches at 9 Queens academies.
9 Queens is the fiscal sponsor of X Chess.
9 Queens instructor Amanda Mateer earned her first WIM norm at the Philadelphia Open. Watch this video on her victories.
Check out this video from the Battle of the Ads this year featuring our friends from Madden Media as they make our poster for this year’s Chess Fest!
Ladies of Tucson- do not miss a spectacular 9 Queens Academy this Sunday, March 21 from 2-4 pm at Bookmans on Grant and Campbell. National Master Leo Martinez will be teaching a tantalizing lesson on winning tempo in the opening, while expert Amanda Mateer will show you how to make the most out of exchanging pieces (especially the Queen). This workshop is free and open to female chess players of all ages and abilities. Many thanks to Bookmans for their continued sponsorship of our 9 Queens Academy Series. If you haven’t seen it, check out this great video from Bookmans featuring 9 Queens at the Tucson Festival of Books. So much fun!
9 Queens is dedicated to empowering individuals and communities through chess by making the game fun, exciting, and accessible.
“Chess is a game that has been played for 1,500 years. The reason why me and my other Wu-Tang brothers got involved with chess is because we learned in our community a lot of people don’t look before they leap.”